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National Board Candidate Support Toolkit

CERRA unveiled its National Board Candidate Support Toolkit in July 2007. The toolkit's 11 "workshops" provide assistance and guidance to educators working to complete the National Board Certification process. Each "workshop" features walk-through support exercises and supplemental PowerPoint presentation to aide in a Candidate Support Provider training.

For more information, contact Katie Gibson, National Board Program Manager at 803.323.4032 ext. 6414.
 

NBCT Toolkit Overview

CERRA has revised the National Board Toolkit to provide consistent candidate support across the state. This revised toolkit provides greater flexibility for candidate support providers. Each workshop can stand alone and workshops may be conducted in any sequence to meet the needs of the candidates. Candidate support providers may present each workshop over several sessions or may select to conduct only those portions of the workshop relevant to the needs of the Candidates at that time.

It is important to note, National Board materials are not included as part of the workshops, but serve as an important resource for candidates. Access and materials National Board provides may change or be adaptive. In an effort to provide candidates the most current version of National Board materials, we highly suggest candidate support providers demonstrate how these materials are accessed.

Each workshop includes evaluation and feedback forms. Data collection is important to ensure the quality of the National Board Toolkit. Candidate support providers are asked to distribute and collect Workshop Evaluations included in the toolkit for each workshop administered. After reviewing the feedback collected from candidates, the support provider should complete the feedback form that will be submitted to CERRA. It is not necessary for the candidate support provider to submit the candidate evaluations to CERRA, only the support provider feedback form. With the data provided on the feedback forms, CERRA staff will be able to monitor the frequency and effectiveness of the toolkit workshops across the state.  Important revisions will be made based on the responses provided over time.

The National Board Toolkit is comprised of eleven workshops for candidates in all stages of the process. The bottom left corner of each activity throughout the toolkit contains a graphic, “Stage of Candidacy.” The pie graph will help candidate support providers identify the appropriate audience for the toolkit activity. The eleven workshops are (access each workshop by selecting from the menu in the orange box to the right):

  1. Coaching Colleagues through NB Certification
  2. Getting Started
  3. Analyzing National Board Standards
  4. Writing for National Board
  5. Student Assessment
  6. Documented Accomplishments
  7. Analyzing Student Work
  8. Videotaping
  9. Preparing for the Assessment Center
  10. Becoming a Retake Candidate or How to Get Back on the Horse Once You’ve Been Thrown
  11. National Board Renewal

Journaling

Candidate support providers have the option of asking candidates to keep a journal of the workshops they attend. Each activity includes processing questions that could be used as journaling activities during the workshop or as a take-away from the workshop.

As candidates grow through the process, the journal will serve as important documentation of their growth. It will also be an important reference for candidates following workshops when they are working independently.

Note Regarding Candidate Support

Candidate support providers are reminded to adhere to the ethical standards and guidelines established by National Board and CERRA. This toolkit is meant to preserve the quality of support candidates are provided, as well as guide candidate support providers to providing support that is beneficial and in the best interest of all parties.